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Fortnite to return to iOS in Japan & UK in 2025

Tim Sweeney claimed another victory over Apple's attempts to keep Fortnite off iOS with Japan and UK joining the regions on which Fortnite can be played next year.

TJ Denzer

June 12, 2024 5:58 PM

Image via Epic Games

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One of Tim Sweeney and Epic Games’ biggest priorities in the last few years has been disrupting Apple’s so-called “walled garden” to not only fight for better conditions for developers on the platform, but also get Epic Games products back onto iOS. Epic reportedly just scored itself two more victories in this regard. Fortnite is set to return to iOS in Japan and the United Kingdom in 2025, joining EU, in which Fortnite will return in 2024.

Tim Sweeney posted a tweet about Fortnite’s return to Japan and the UK on top of Fortnite’s own announcement of the situation.

Fortnite will now return to iOS in Japan and UK next year, and EU this year! This is the new free world, from the point of view of app developers and users. It’s a big club and we ain’t in it: The United States of America is still locked behind Apple’s Iron Curtain. https://t.co/E5XpP856VG

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) June 12, 2024

This marks the latest victory for Epic Games against Apple’s attempts to keep it out of its iOS ecosystem over the last few years. While Epic lost big in the United States, which ruled that Apple was right to retaliate against the Fortnite developer’s willing violation of its terms of service, matters overseas shifted heavily with the passage of the Digital Markets Act, which barred Apple from gatekeeping Epic Games off its platform in EU nations. This opened the door for Fortnite to return to iOS through the creation of an Epic Games Store app for iOS, through which users will be able to launch Epic Games Store games.

The addition of Japan and UK to this list in 2025 means another small victory for Epic Games in its fight against Apple. As Tim Sweeney and the company take victory laps over the outcome, stay tuned for new updates as Fortnite returns to EU, UK, and Japan throughout the coming year.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.